Saeed blames batsmen (10 March 2000)

Saeed blames batsmen
10 March 2000

Peshawar, March 9: Pakistan captain Saeed Anwar blamed the failure of batsmen in the first innings but defended his decision to put Sri Lankan into bat in the second cricket Test which the tourists won by 57 runs.

"We didn't put enough runs in the first innings on the scoreboard. We were in a position to add 100 more runs which we didn't," he said in the post-match conference.

He added: "The batsmen are not playing positive and aggressive cricket. I told Yousuf Youhana to play positively and he managed to get 88 runs."

But the Pakistan captain said it is always easy to criticize his decision not bat to first after winning the toss. "I prefer to bat first because then there is no pressure on me and the batsmen. But it was an unanimous decision of the team to field first.

"The wicket didn't play bad but we got out playing poor shots." Saeed, wearing a collar to support his sprained neck, said he was the captain of the team which was struggling with injuries. He said things were going against his team as the luck continued to desert him.

"I am the captain of the team whose three match-winners are down with injuries. I am winning the tosses but nothing seems to be working for us. There is not much a captain can do about these things.

"As far as I am concerned, my performance as captain is satisfactory though I would have preferred to convert two good innings into centuries. I am taking the right decisions in the field and the bowling changes were working fine."

Intikhab Alam, the Pakistani coach, said his players have vindicated his observation that they lack cricketing sense and positive approach. He admitted that with the batsmen struggling in Australia because of bounce and now under trouble on spinning tracks proves that Pakistan was not producing quality batsmen.

"We need to uplift our domestic system. The youngsters don't get the proper facilities to polish their skills. For example, Arbab Niaz Stadium has a square of four pitches and more than 40 matches have been played here. Now you can imagine the life in the surface and how the players can prosper by playing on this wicket."

Jayasuriya Overjoyed: A delighted Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya said it was a collective effort but singled out Muttiah Muralitharan as the best spinner in the world.

"He is the best spinner because he is so consistent. He turns the ball yards no matter on what type of wicket he is bowling. It's a great feeling to have a player like Muralitharan in the team."

However, he said all the players played their roles to perfection. He said Marvan Atapattu and Russel Arnold batted well when the team required while the bowlers provided breakthroughs to keep Pakistan's progress in check.

He remarked victories in Tests are never easy and the teams have to play really well to earn them.

"No matter you are playing in your conditions or outside Pakistan, victories in Tests are something special. They come only after you play positive and consistent cricket."

He said the margin of 57-run victory in the second Test doesn't clearly reflect the amount of pressure in which the fielders were. "Yousuf Youhana batted really well but we knew as soon as we get, the match would be over."

Jayasuriya, however, said with just two days gap between the second and the third Test, it would be difficult to maintain same performance. "The bowlers are really tired after bowling more than 60 overs."

Dav Whatmore, the Sri Lankan coach, was pleased with the team's performance as said it was time his team gets the recognition it deserves. "If you want to be in competition, we you to get to play good competition cricket."

© Dawn

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Test Teams	Pakistan.
Players/Umpires	Saeed Anwar, Dav Whatmore, Sanath Jayasuriya, Yousuf Youhana, Intikhab Alam, Mutiah Muralitharan, Marvan Atapattu, Russel Arnold.
Tours	Sri Lanka in Pakistan

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Source: Dawn
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